| Smaller ferries carrying automobiles replaced the larger passenger steamers in the late 1920’s as road networks and motorized vessel propulsion improved. This ferry company started in 1940 when Arni J. Richter and his father, Carl G. Richter, purchased two wooden ferries from the pioneering operation of Capt. William Jepson. Wooden ferries gave way to steel vessels. We operate five steel ferries: Arni J. Richter; Washington; Robert Noble; Eyrarbakki; C.G. Richter. |
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| Due to thick ice, shifting currents, and unstable winter conditions, crossing on ice to the mainland has never been considered a safe or reliable means of transportation. A number of young men died in 1935, one of them Mary Richter’s brother John, when their car went through the ice as they returned from a peninsula basketball game. Years ago, there were often long periods of island isolation due to ice-filled passages. |
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No regular winter ferry service was offered until 1946 when the welded, steel-hulled Griffin was built (named for LaSalle’s first sailing ship on the lakes). Until the early 1970’s, only one daily round trip in winter was scheduled and there was no ferry service on Sundays. |
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| The Death’s Door passage that separates Washington Island from the Door Peninsula is known for choppy seas and converging winds. The charted name, Porte des Morts, was written on French charts, supposedly because of a loss of native Indian lives during a storm. It has also been a passage with frequent shipwrecks in the 1800’s. We still use the Death’s Door name today to describe this shipping passage that links Green Bay with Lake Michigan. In winter, the Door passage is often filled with moving or stacked ice, making crossing difficult. |
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Washington Island Ferry Line, Inc., is one of few Great Lakes ferry companies offering year around service. The ferry trips are challenging when there are high winds, but even more so if there are high winds and moving ice. We will cancel service if conditions warrant, generally when winds are over 35 kts. This may happen two or three days during the year, most often in winter. |
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"Part of the adventure of going to Washington Island is, of course, the ferry ride. It is an
unforgettable experience in the winter when the ice chokes the passage. ......The voyage
couldn't have been more exciting for our group. Hard packed ice glowed brilliant blue in the
dim sunshine and heavy swells of the ice pack rolled the ferry unexpectedly delighting the kids."
– Heidi Hodges, Columnist /Door County Advocate 2/23/08
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Boxes of fish, rounds of cheese, cherries, apples and sacks of potatoes were among the many products shipped from the island years ago. Today, aside from logs and the occasional box of fish packed in ice, there are few island exports.
Besides transporting travelers and autos, we also carry supplies to and from the island, sometimes in trucks, other times on deck. All package freight such as UPS and FedEx, U.S. Mail, hardware, food products, fuels and construction materials, logs, and even modular homes, are transported to the island by our ferries. We haul many semi trucks, as well as bicycles and motorcycles, in addition to cars. |
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For many years the C.G. Richter (built in 1950) was the island’s winter ferry. It had a single diesel engine, and a deck capacity of 9 autos….. or 8 autos and one small truck. In 2003 we built a new ferry at Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for all-season service to the island. The twin-engine Arni J. Richter has been a great success as an ice breaker, and as a popular summer ferry. The Arni J’s capacity is 18 vehicles. It carries semi trucks easily. As a result, we increased the winter service from one to two round trips daily. |
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Our winter operation is challenging. It's a service that is not profitable, but fortunately it’s offset by a more robust summer trade in which as many as four ferries at one time might operate simultaneously, each with a capacity of 18 or more vehicles and up to 150 passengers per vessel. The one-way run takes 30 minutes, so approximately 72 cars an hour can be carried if all ferries are in operation.
Summer ferry service is a contrast with winter: a ferry departs every ½ hour during daytime operation.
Our ferries depart the mainland from Northport Pier at the end of Wisconsin State Highway 42. Stone break walls were added in 1994 with Door County’s help and Wisconsin DOT grant funds.This made Northport a safe harbor for ferry operations summer and winter.Before 1994, summer ferries landed at Gills Rock or Rowley’s Bay, in addition to Northport, depending upon wind direction, weather and season of the year. |
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Approximately 70,000 vehicles and 215,000 passengers are carried annually by Washington Island Ferry Line, Inc. in approximately 3800 round trips. Without question, it is the summer tourism trade that enables profitability, and that supports the island’s tourism-based economy.
Over 65% of all of our revenues come in the months of July and August. Visitors originate primarily from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. Our service relies on a variety of travelers, including the walk-on trade, people who might take an island tour by Cherry Train, rent a bicycle, or bring their own bikes. Our recommendation is that anyone who intends to stay overnight on Washington Island, or who wishes to visit Rock Island, should bring their car so that they can more easily get to points of interest. They will likely be disappointed if they rely on walking to see island sights. (Though many people enjoy recreational walking or bicycling the quiet island roads.) |
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Washington Island Ferry Line, Inc., remains a family-owned corporation. Historically, we’ve always been island-based: the ferry management; the ferry crews; and the company offices. All ferry trips begin and end in Detroit Harbor, Washington Island.
Our Ferry Line personnel are mostly island residents or they are people with strong island connections such as property ownership or island relatives. We’re both fortunate, and proud, to have such a great group of people who work together, rain or shine, cold or warm. They appreciate living on Washington Island and can relate that enthusiasm to our customers.
Sincerely,Richard Purinton, President
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